Pro-life office to host discussion on end of life care, pro-life perspective

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

As our loved ones reach the end of life, questions begin to arise. These questions can revolve round living wills, hydration and nutrition as they reach their final days — and many ask the question, “Am I doing the right thing for my loved one?”

These questions are ones that the Diocese of Covington Pro-life Office, in conjunction with the Catholic Medical Association, hope to answer. On Oct. 17, guest speaker Jozef Zalot of the National Catholic Bioethics Center will be joining Paul Darpel, attorney; Father Raymond Enzweiler, dean, Thomas More University and Addia Wuchner, executive director, Kentucky Right to Life, at the Curia’s Bishop Howard Memorial Auditorium, Covington, for a special event titled “A Catholic Perspective to End of Life Care.”

Topics include pro-life perspectives on end of life care, including hydration, nutrition and pain medication, and advance directives, such as power of attorney and living wills. Also to be discussed is Catholic teaching on topics such as euthanasia and physician assisted suicide — which is currently legal in 13 U.S. states.

As a pro-life issue, discussions of end-of-life care are important as we “care about the person from the beginning of their life to the end,” said Faye Roch, director of the Pro-life Office. “Many times, when people are reaching the end of life, from illness or old age, there are pro-life issues that are involved.”

Distinctions such as ethics around life support, nutrition and other end of life topics are important and valuable topics to know “when it comes to making those decisions,” Mrs. Roch said, “because we do care about the person from the beginning until the end of their life, and all those little aspects in between.”

People are the most vulnerable not only at the beginning of their life, but at the end of their life, as well, Mrs. Roch said — emphasizing the importance of end-of-life care from a Catholic and pro-life perspective. “You want to have the information so that you can properly care for your loved one in an appropriate way,” she said.